Everything about Neutral Moresnet totally explained
Neutral Moresnet was a tiny
neutral territory that existed from 1816 to 1920 between
Belgium and
Germany. Today, it's especially of interest to
Esperantists because of initiatives to found an
Esperanto-speaking state on the territory.
History
Origins
After the demise of
Napoleon's Empire, the
Congress of Vienna of 1814/1815 redrew the European map, aiming at creating a
balance of power. One of the borders to be delineated was the one between the newly-founded
United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the
Kingdom of Prussia. Both parties could agree on the larger part of the territory, as borders mostly followed older lines, but the district of Moresnet proved problematic, mainly because of the valuable
zinc spar mine called
Altenberg (
German) or
Vieille Montagne (
French) located there. Both the Netherlands and Prussia were keen to appropriate this resource, which was needed in the processing of
zinc and
brass.
In December 1815, Dutch and Prussian representatives convened in the near-by
Aachen and on
26 June 1816 a compromise was reached, dividing the district of Moresnet into three parts. The village of Moresnet itself would become part of the Dutch
province of Liège, whereas the village now called
Prussian Moresnet would become part of the Prussian
Rhine province, and the mine and the adjacent village - would become a
neutral territory pending a future agreement. The two powers, both barred from occupying the area with their miltary, established a
joint administration.
When Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, the land on the Dutch side came under Belgian control, and therefore the Belgiums inherited the Dutch role in Neutral Moresnet (though formally the Dutch never ceded their claim).
Borders
Formal installation of border demarcation markers for the territory occurred on
23 September 1818. The new territory of Neutral Moresnet had a more-or-less
triangular shape with the base being the main road from Aachen to
Liège. The village and mine lay just to the north of this road. Beside it two straight lines went northwards coming ever closer to each other until they finally met on the
Vaalserberg.
While the roads leading from Germany and Belgium to the "
Three Country Point" on the Vaalserberg today bear the names, respectively, of
Dreiländerweg ("Three-Countries-Way") and
Route des Trois Bornes ("Three Boundary Stones Road"), that coming from the Netherlands is called
Viergrenzenweg ("Four Borders Way"), recalling the fact that once four territories met here.
Flag
Since
1883,
Neutral Moresnet used a
tricolore with horizontal bars in black, white and blue as its territorial flag. The origin is unclear and have been explained in two different ways:
- Some hold that the colours were taken from the two conflicting powers' flags, with black and white standing for Prussia and white and blue for the Netherlands.
- Others think that the colours were taken from the logo of the Vieille Montagne mining company.
Status
The territory was governed by two royal commissioners, one from each neighbor. Eventually, these commissioners were commonly civil servants from the Belgian
Verviers and the Prussian
Eupen. The municipal administration was headed by a
mayor appointed by the commissioners.
The
Napoleonic civil and penal codes, introduced under French rule, remained in force throughout the existence of
Neutral Moresnet. However, since no law court existed in the neutral territory, Belgian and Prussian judges had to come in and decide cases based on the Napoleonic laws. Since there was no administrative court either, the mayor's decision couldn't be appealed.
In 1859,
Neutral Moresnet was granted a greater measure of self-administration by the installation of a municipal council of ten members. The council, as well as a welfare committee and a school committee, were appointed by the mayor and served an advisory function only. The people had no
voting rights.
Life in Neutral Moresnet was dominated by the
Vieille Montagne mining company, which not only was the major employer but also operated residences, shops, a hospital and a bank. The mine attracted many workers from the neighboring countries, increasing the population from 256 in 1815 to 2,275 in 1858 and 4,668 in 1914. Most services such as the mail were shared between Belgium and Prussia (in a fashion similar to
Andorra). There were five schools in the territory, and Prussian subjects could attend the schools in
Prussian Moresnet.
Living in the territory had several benefits. Among these were the low taxes (the national budget being fixed at 2,735
fr. throughout its history), the absence of import
tariffs from both neighboring countries, and low prices compared to just across the border. A downside to their special status was the fact that people from Neutral Moresnet were considered to be stateless and were not allowed a military of their own.
Many immigrants settled in Moresnet so they'd be exempt from
military service, but in 1854 Belgium began to conscript its citizens who had moved to Moresnet, and Prussia did likewise in 1874. From then on, the exemption applied only to descendants of the original inhabitants.
Uncertain future
When the mine was exhausted in 1885, doubts arose about the continued survival of Neutral Moresnet. Several ideas were put forward to establish the territory as a more independent entity:
In 1886, Dr.
Wilhelm Molly (1838-1919), the mine's chief medical doctor and an avid
philatelist, tried to organise a local postal service with its own stamps. This enterprise was quickly thwarted by Belgian intervention.
A casino was established in August 1903 after Belgium had forced all such resorts to close. The Moresnet casino operated under strict limitations, permitting no local resident to gamble, and no more than 20 persons to gather at a time. The venture was abandoned, however, when the
Prussian King threatened to partition the territory or cede it to Belgium in order to end the gambling. Around this same time, Moresnet boasted three
distilleries for the manufacture of
gin.
The most remarkable initiative occurred in 1908, when Dr. Molly proposed making
Neutral Moresnet the world's first
Esperanto-speaking state, named
Amikejo ("place of friendship"). The proposed national anthem was an Esperanto
march of the same name. A number of residents learned Esperanto and a rally was held in Kelmis in support of the idea of
Amikejo on
13 August 1908. The
World Congress of Esperanto, meeting in
Dresden, even declared
Neutral Moresnet the world capital of the Esperanto community. Esperanto still plays a prominent role in the society of Kelmis.
However, time was running out for the tiny territory. Neither Belgium nor Prussia (now within the
German Empire) had ever surrendered its original claim to it. Around 1900 Germany in particular was taking a more aggressive stance towards the territory and was accused of sabotage and of obstructing the administrative process in order to force the issue.
First World War
The
First World War brought about the end of neutrality. On
August 4 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, leaving Moresnet at first "an oasis in a desert of destruction". In
1915, the territory was
annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia.
In
1918, the
Armistice between France and Germany, signed on November 11 at
Compiègne, forced Germany to withdraw from Belgium and also from Moresnet.
On
June 28 1919, the
Treaty of Versailles settled the dispute that had created the neutral territory a century earlier by awarding Moresnet, along with the German municipalities of
Eupen and
Malmedy, to Belgium, thus permanently ending the status of a neutral territory.
Further history
The territory was formally annexed by Belgium on
January 10,
1920. To distinguish it from the already existing town of
Moresnet,
Neutral Moresnet was renamed
Kelmis (in French:
La Calamine) - after Kelme, the
local dialect word for
zinc spar -, while
Prussian Moresnet was renamed
New Moresnet.
After 1920, Moresnet shared the history of Eupen and Malmedy, Germany briefly re-annexed the area during
World War II, but it returned to Belgium in 1944. Since
1973, Kelmis forms part of the
German-speaking Community of Belgium. In
1977, Kelmis absorbed the neighboring communes of Neu-Moresnet and Hergenrath.
A small museum in Neu-Moresnet, the Göhltal Museum (Musée de la Vallée de la Gueule), includes exhibits on Neutral Moresnet. Of the 60 border markers for the territory, more than 50 are still standing.
Famous people
Emil Dovifat (1890-1969), German scholar of journalism.
List of executive officers
List of Royal Commissioners
List of mayors
Further Information
Get more info on 'Neutral Moresnet'.
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